Thailand's Ministry of Transport plans to launch a seaplane service to Phuket by the end of this year. Deputy Minister of Transport Manaporn Charoensri said at a seminar on May 9 that this was part of the government's policy to make Thailand an "air traffic hub".
Ms Manabong said the aviation hub policy was formulated by Prime Minister Saita Tavisin and that the government sought to optimize the country's air capacity to cope with the increase in international tourists. She spoke at the "First Seaplane Operations at Thai Airways Hub" seminar as part of a two-day forum jointly organized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and Thai Airways Radio (Aerothai) starting Wednesday.
She explained that seaplane operations will help tourists travel to remote maritime destinations and mitigate the impact of disasters and provide emergency relief to these areas. The seminar was held to strengthen cooperation between aviation operators, with a focus on how seaplanes can fly to popular maritime locations such as Phuket's Ao Pho and Ratsada ports and islands from Koh Phi Phi to Krabi.
The ministry is looking to carry out such operations in many popular beach and island areas, including Phuket, by the end of the year.
CAAT Director Suthipong Kongpool said CAAT has put in place safety measures and regulations for seaplanes to ensure they are fully compliant with the guidelines of the aviation organization International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Thai Airways Chairman Nopasit Chakpitak said Thai Airways has studied the feasibility of introducing seaplane operations, which he said would provide people with additional travel options and respond quickly in the event of a medical, public health or disaster emergency.
Ms. Manabong also said at the seminar that the maritime sector is currently considering converting Phuket's deep-water port into a cruise terminal, adding that a study on the issue will be completed by the end of this year. She said the development plan was made because of the decline in cargo ship traffic at the port, partly because the monsoon winds prevented many ships from entering the port.
The port will become a new hybrid cruise terminal that can serve as a home port for both small and medium-sized cruise ships and a port of call for larger cruise ships, such as the giant cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas, with a capacity of 4,900 seats.